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Why biomechanics of the eye?

In our daily lives we rarely think of the eye as a biomechanical
structure. The eye, however, is a remarkably complex structure with
biomechanics involved in many of its functions. For our
eyes to be able to track moving objects, for example, requires a
delicate balance of the forces exerted by several muscles. Forces are
also responsible for deforming the lens and allow focusing. A slight imbalance between the forces and tissue
properties may be enough to alter or even preclude vision. These
effects may take place quickly or over long periods, even years.
Understanding ocular biomechanics is therefore important for preventing and treating vision loss.

Schematic cross-section through a human eye. Light enters the eye through the cornea, passes
through the pupil, lens and vitreous humour and strikes the retina, where it is absorbed. Retinal
nerve fibers transmit visual information to the brain. These fibers converge at the optic nerve head
region, exit the eye through the scleral canal, and form the optic nerve. The lamina cribrosa is a porous
structure spanning the scleral canal. The vitreous chamber is filled with the vitreous humor, which
exerts a pressure, the intraocular pressure, on the surface of the retina. [Sigal et al. Biomech Model
Mechanobiol, 8(2):85-98, Apr 2009] (adapted from an illustration from NIH)

Goals

The objective of the Laboratory of Ocular Biomechanics is to study the
eye as a biomechanical structure. More specifically our work is aimed
at identifying the causes of glaucoma, with the ultimate intention of
finding a way to prevent vision loss.